Vehicle display control apparatus and vehicle display control method

Abstract

A display controller converts a detection target region contained within a detection range of an obstruction sensor group and extending from a vehicle to the periphery thereof into a virtual marker image and causes a virtual image to be displayed by superimposing the image over a scene in front of the vehicle. When the relative position of an obstruction is within the detection target region, the display controller causes an arc-shaped ripple spreading in a direction based on the relative position of the obstruction to be displayed in a region, of the virtual marker image, located in a direction based on the relative position of the obstruction. The display controller converts the important information into a notification image and causes the notification image to be displayed in a display medium. The display controller changes the display format of at least one of the virtual marker image or the notification image.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle display control apparatus that controls a display which is installed in a vehicle and which, by projecting an image onto a display medium, superimposes the image over a scene in front of the vehicle to cause a driver to see a superimposed image as a virtual image, the vehicle display control apparatus comprising:
 a processor; and 
 a memory including at least one program that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations, the operations including:
 based on a result of detection by an obstruction sensor that detects an obstruction present in a periphery of the vehicle, detecting obstruction information including a relative position and a relative speed of the obstruction relative to the vehicle; 
 obtaining information including the periphery of the vehicle and a state of the vehicle, and detecting, as important information, information that is to be communicated to the driver over the obstruction information; 
 when the obstruction sensor is operating, converting, into a virtual marker image, a detection target region which is contained within a detection range of the obstruction sensor and which extends from the vehicle to the periphery of the vehicle along a road surface, and causing the virtual image to be displayed by superimposing the virtual marker image over the scene in the front of the vehicle using the display; 
 when the relative position of the obstruction is within the detection target region, causing an image indicating a direction in which the obstruction is located to be displayed in a region of the virtual marker image in a direction based on the relative position of the obstruction, using the obstruction information; and 
 when the important information is detected, converting the important information into a notification image and causing the notification image to be displayed at a predetermined position of the display medium using the display, 
 
 wherein, when causing the virtual marker image and the notification image to be displayed simultaneously, the processor changes a display format of at least one of the virtual marker image or the notification image, 
 the notification image is configured to be displayed at the predetermined position of the display medium, and 
 when the notification image overlaps with the virtual marker image and the image indicating the direction in which the obstruction is located, the processor moves the notification image from the predetermined position to a different position than the virtual marker image and the image indicating the direction in which the obstruction is located. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processor detects guidance information including at least one of route information, traffic congestion information, and warning information, and 
 the processor detects the guidance information as the important information. 
 
     
     
       3. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle/driver state sensor group that detects the state of the vehicle or a state of the driver, and 
 the processor detects, as the important information, information indicating an abnormal state of the vehicle or an abnormal state of the driver from the state of the vehicle or the state of the driver detected by the vehicle/driver state sensor group. 
 
     
     
       4. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the vehicle includes a vehicle controller that controls driving of the vehicle and outputs driving information indicating a driving state of the vehicle, and 
 the processor detects the important information from the driving information output by the vehicle controller. 
 
     
     
       5. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processor changes the display format of the notification image by at least one of increasing a brightness, increasing a saturation, or changing a color. 
 
     
     
       6. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein, when the processor determines that the driver sees the virtual marker image and the notification image in an overlapping state, the processor changes a display position of the notification image. 
 
     
     
       7. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the processor changes the display format of the virtual marker image by at least one of changing a color or reducing a size. 
 
     
     
       8. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein, when the processor determines that the driver sees the virtual marker image and the notification image in an overlapping state, the processor changes the display format of at least one of the virtual marker image or the notification image to a display format in which the driver does not see the virtual marker image and the notification image in the overlapping state. 
 
     
     
       9. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein when the processor determines that the driver sees the virtual marker image and the notification image in an overlapping state, the processor performs control so that the virtual marker image is not displayed in the display. 
 
     
     
       10. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the processor outputs the obstruction information to a navigation device included in the vehicle display control apparatus. 
 
     
     
       11. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the vehicle includes a speaker, and 
 when causing the notification image to be displayed in the display, the display controller causes the speaker to output audio indicating the important information. 
 
     
     
       12. The vehicle display control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the display controller causes an arc-shaped ripple spreading in a direction corresponding to the relative position of the obstruction to be displayed as the image indicating the direction in which the obstruction is located. 
 
     
     
       13. A vehicle display control method of controlling a display which is installed in a vehicle and which, by projecting an image onto a display medium, superimposes the image over a scene in front of the vehicle to cause a driver to see a superimposed image as a virtual image, the vehicle display control method comprising:
 detecting, based on a result of detection by an obstruction sensor that detects an obstruction present in a periphery of the vehicle, obstruction information including a relative position and a relative speed of the obstruction relative to the vehicle; 
 obtaining information including the periphery of the vehicle and a state of the vehicle, and detecting, as important information, information that is to be communicated to the driver over the obstruction information; 
 when the obstruction sensor is operating, converting, into a virtual marker image, a detection target region which is contained within a detection range of the obstruction sensor and which extends from the vehicle to the periphery of the vehicle along a road surface, and causing the virtual image to be displayed by superimposing the virtual marker image over the scene in the front of the vehicle using the display; 
 when the relative position of the obstruction is within the detection target region, causing an image indicating a direction in which the obstruction is located to be displayed in a region of the virtual marker image in a direction based on the relative position of the obstruction, using the obstruction information; and 
 when the important information is detected, converting the important information into a notification image and causing the notification image to be displayed at a predetermined position of the display medium using the display device, 
 wherein, when causing the virtual marker image and the notification image to be displayed simultaneously, a display format of at least one of the virtual marker image or the notification image is changed, 
 the notification image is configured to be displayed at the predetermined position of the display medium, and 
 when the notification image overlaps with the virtual marker image and the image indicating the direction in which the obstruction is located, the processor moves the notification image from the predetermined position to a different position than the virtual marker image and the image indicating the direction in which the obstruction is located.